MB&F MoonMachine 2
Hailed as the world’s first projected moon phase display, MB&F sought the expertise of Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva to incorporate the latter’s signature moon phase for the HM8, which is distinguished by its lateral time display. When worn on the wrist, time can be read without the need to lift the hand as the display is not on the main dial but perpendicular to it—a design that harks back to 1970s driver’s watches.
The hour, minute and moon phase may look like they are positioned perpendicularly when in fact they are projected images via an optical prism of their flat positions. The prism is cut to magnify the hours and minutes but not for the moon phase to avoid distortion.
And then there is Sarpaneva’s moon, which has an actual face with eyes, nose and lips. There are three moons, all made from gold—a big version on the radial web rotor on the main dial, and two smaller versions to indicate the moon phase.